Her Majesty The Queen unveils new portrait in the Home of Racing

7th May 2015

Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of The Jockey Club, has visited The National Stud in Newmarket to mark its centenary year and unveiled a portrait in the historic Jockey Club Rooms depicting her with Estimate, her mare that won the Ascot Gold Cup.

The painting by artist Paul Benney was commissioned by The Jockey Club in recognition of The Queen’s outstanding contribution to British horseracing over many years. It will hang in the Jockey Club Rooms as part of its extensive art collection. A second portrait was presented to The Queen as a gift from the Members of The Jockey Club to their Patron.

The Queen was hosted throughout her visit on Monday afternoon by The Jockey Club’s Senior Steward, Roger Weatherby, and accompanied by John Warren, Racing Advisor to The Queen and Jockey Club Member.

Founded in 1750, The Jockey Club is governed by Royal Charter to act for the long-term good of British horseracing. It owns and runs many of British racing’s most iconic assets including the Cheltenham Festival, the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival and The Investec Derby Festival, and reinvests all profits back into Britain’s second-biggest spectator sport.

Roger Weatherby, Senior Steward of The Jockey Club, said:

“We were honoured and delighted to welcome Her Majesty The Queen to The National Stud and the Jockey Club Rooms. She is a wonderful advocate for our sport and continues to make a tremendous contribution as our Patron and a leading racehorse breeder and owner.”

John Warren, Racing Advisor to Her Majesty The Queen, said:

“Her Majesty was delighted to visit both The National stud and the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket. In doing so The Queen saw the wonderful new stallion Toronado, unveiled the splendid portrait and met many members of The Jockey Club.”

The National Stud
The Queen visited The National Stud on Monday afternoon, which has been run by The Jockey Club since 2008. There she met the team headed by Chairman Ben Sangster and Managing Director Brian O’Rourke, planted a tree to mark 100 years since the stud’s inception1 and inspected all five of the stud’s stallions. This included Toronado, the European Champion miler owned by His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. The Queen also inspected the tree she planted in 1967 when The National Stud was opened at its current site in Newmarket.

Today, The National Stud offers a range of important services to the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industries. In addition to its stallion and boarding operations, The National Stud runs education courses to train the next generation of stud and racing stable managers – who met The Queen during her visit – and operates public tours enjoyed by more than 18,000 visitors a year.

The Jockey Club Rooms
After leaving The National Stud, The Queen travelled to Newmarket High Street and into the historic Jockey Club Rooms, where she was welcomed by more than 70 Members of The Jockey Club.

The Queen was met by Andrew Merriam, Deputy Senior Steward of The Jockey Club and Chairman of Jockey Club Estates, which runs the Jockey Club Rooms and the training grounds in Newmarket, Lambourn and Epsom Downs.

The Queen unveiled the painted portrait of herself with her mare Estimate. Estimate won the Ascot Gold Cup for The Queen in 2013 and currently is in foal to Dubawi, the flagship stallion at His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Thoroughbred breeding operation, Darley.